Safeguarding Our Church

LiveScan

1. Those in leadership, administration, paid staff, and some volunteers aged 18 and older are required to have a LiveScan background check performed. Please see the attached matrix for more specifics on this.
2. In order for them to have their fingerprint taken, a person at your parish (I recommend rectors/PIC, or Senior Wardens if the congregation is in transition) has to be registered to receive the background checks (they are the Custodian of Record with legal responsibility to safeguard the information), and the parish needs to have an ORI (Organization Record Identifier) number that will be used on the form for each LiveScan request to ensure the information is transmitted to your church.
   1. The form to register for an ORI number and to be the Custodian on Record is HERE.
   2. Please know that being the Custodian on Record comes with responsibilities, please see the attached document to learn more.
3. In order for a person to have the LiveScan completed, they will need to take a form with them, that has your parish’s ORI number on it.
   1. The form that people will take with them to the LiveScan can be found HERE, and is attached, along with instructions on how to fill out the form some of which will need to be completed by your church.
4. Please know that supply clergy and interims will do their LiveScan through the Diocese so that they can serve in multiple parishes without needing to repeat the LiveScan at each place.
5. To learn more about signing up to receive the background checks and getting an ORI number, please contact Maria Navarrete, Diocesan Parish Resources Support, at [email protected]

Safe Church Training

• Each parish needs to have and maintain policies regarding the safety of the most vulnerable in their community, minors, and elders. In order to make our communities as safe as possible, certain leaders in the congregation need to complete various trainings that pertain to their ministry. All of these trainings are available on the Praesidium Academy website. To learn which trainings are required of which leaders in the community, please review the Safe Church Training Matrix. Please note that these trainings must be renewed every three years. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to get in touch with Canon Martha.

Policies

1. Each Vestry should adopt a written policy that addresses the following:
   1. All volunteers aged 18 and older who supervise youth AND employees must have background checks completed using LiveScan, including scope of the check and whether the follow on report option is to be selected (we suggest, yes so that one scan per person will suffice).
   2. All volunteers who supervise youth AND employees must complete training in the identification & reporting of abuse & neglect.
   3. Written policies and procedures for reporting suspected abuse and/or neglect outside the organization to appropriate authorities.
   4. Policy where all youth activities are supervised by at least two trained and screened mandated reporters.